MovieChat Forums > Harley and the Davidsons (2016) Discussion > Series Premiere Review

Series Premiere Review

posted 8 years ago by lostfan2009
10 replies | jump to latest

Review of the premiere.

http://www.seat42f.com/harley-and-the-davidsons-review.html

[–] etsuo 8 years ago

I got the same feeling, that this was a "stacked deck" tale about working class Harley and the Davidson brothers against Evil Giant, Indian motorcycles. (But business folk of that time tended to favor skulduggery, cheating, exclusive product contracts, and that "Snidely Whiplash" persona.;) This miniseries reminds me of "The Battle of Britain" movie; read a good book about the subject and watch the reel version for entertainment. Although this miniseries is about Harley-Davidson's early years, I found the frequent plugs for H-D to be sledge-hammer hard sell that would have driven me to buy an Indian motorcycle toot suite.

[–] rbfordjw 8 years ago

As current owner of two Harley?s and also two Indians, I really enjoyed this mini-series.
The only complaint that I have is how Indian builder, George Hendee, was portrayed as kind of a pompous jerk. The truth is that Art Davidson and Hendee were not enemies but were close friends who visited each other at their homes and bonded over common interests in motorcycles and other things.
Also, before each sales season, representatives of both companies would meet for a big meal and discuss each companies new models and discuss what they should charge for each new model. (Would be illegal ?price fixing? today!)
In addition, when Indian got in financial trouble before DuPont bought the company,
Harley founders even had discussions on how to help Indian financially. And when Indian finally died, there was mourning in Milwaukee.
All the Indian vs Harley ?war? was mainly at the dealer level. And of course on the race track! Again, I really enjoyed this series!

[–] AIRORD 8 years ago

After re-watching I am thinking there might have been a few deleted scenes. If you watch the scene in the bar when Shrimp Burns presents the "hog" to his fellow racers you can see George Hendee at the bar helping to celebrate the win. This of course was after he passed on his Presidency in Indian due to health reason so you must be correct on a bond and friendship between Hendee and Davidson. Perhaps a more complete DVD will come out.Oh, and as a Harley and Kawasaki owner I loved it and thought the actors knocked it out of the park...............

[–] wctguitarman 8 years ago

Good review. I have viewed parts 1 and 2 so far. The storyline is underdeveloped. Who are the wives and families of these 3 main characters and why don't we get to connect with them? Why is H-D's beef with Indian given such a dominant focus? Squeezing this story into a 3-part miniseries leaves alot of blanks to fill in for yourself. There is enough substance to appeal to most people. If you're a details person and you prefer movies that allow you to connect to all important characters and situations emotionally, you might feel underwhelmed.

[–] danabooth-11397 8 years ago

You know who the families are, I think that the film makers were going for a documentary more than they were for artistic license. I understand the competition between Harley Davidson and Indian, but in all unfairness, the show comes across more like a three hour Harley commercial than a documentary. And that's from a Harley owner.

[–] wctguitarman 8 years ago

In that case, the miniseries is not such a bad advertisement. I'm thinking about buying my first Harley... not sure which model to start with. I like the vintage look of the softail classic and deluxe models.

[–] danabooth-11397 8 years ago

Mine is a softtail, "Fat Boy", I also like the classic look. I'm not a "biker", and don't belong to The Church of Harley Davidson. I bought a Yamaha 175 as a kid, have had two Hondas and two Harley Davidsons since then, and I love the classic look of the Fat Boy. For several years back in the 70's, HD had a crappy reputation due to the sale of the company to AMF, but these days the bike is very high quality.

[–] wctguitarman 8 years ago

The Fat Boy is a cool bike. I just started riding 5 months ago and picked up a 2015 Yamaha SR400. It's a cool heritage bike that has been great to learn on but it can barely reach 70 mph on the highway in optimal conditions. At 6'0 tall in my 40s, I have grown out of it quickly.

[–] suchawoman 8 years ago

I learned on a Yamaha Virago, then graduated to a Sportster...and now I have a Heritage Softtail. I LOVE IT! I'm a 5'4", 49 year old woman, and only regret not getting my license sooner! I would encourage anyone thinking of buying to try out several....think about the style of riding you'll be doing - city, highway, long distance,etc. We all have our preferences, but you have to find the one that "fits" you. They are all so different!

[–] 8 years ago

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